Barcelona Claiming €6 Million In Damages From COPE After Doping Allegations

By Stefan Coerts

Catalans take Spanish radio station to court after insinuations in March that the club were involved in illegal doping related practices.

Spanish giants Barcelona have demanded a little over €6 million in damages from radio station COPE in the wake of their recent insinuations that the Catalans are involved in doping practices.

The broadcasters quickly retracted the initial comments, that also accused Valencia of similar treatments, but the Camp Nou club have moved toward legal proceedings.

"FC Barcelona has today presented to the civil courts in Barcelona a lawsuit against Radio Popular S.A. (COPE) for an attack on its honour deriving from the comments made by the journalist Juan Antonio Alcala in the programme ‘El Partido de las 12’, on March 13 this year, which linked sportsmen and medical staff from the Club with doping practices," a statement on the club's official website reads.

"FC Barcelona considers these comments to have damaged its image, prestige and reputation and that they constitute a clear attack on a constitutional right which this lawsuit will attempt to redress.

"In line with the technical valuations used to quantify this type of injury, the club is claiming €6.190.090 in damages."

Barcelona are currently preparing for the league match away to domestic rivals Real Madrid on Saturday evening.

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